Europe

International solidarity and action to oppose state brutality and
austerity

Below we publish a solidarity appeal, followed by the translated
text of a declaration made by Socialismo Revolucionario (CWI in Spain)
following the events in Valencia last week

socialistworld.net

In the Spanish city of Valencia, a concerted campaign of brutal police
repression was visited on students, including many minors, between 15
and 20 February. As the magnificent struggle of second and third level
students against cuts and the degradation of the public education system
continued apace, websites and TV screens were filled with brutal images
of bloodied protesters, set upon by scores of riot police.

Demo in valencia following repression

However, this barbarism, at the behest of the PP regional and central
governments, proved to be a tragic miscalculation for them. Rather than
snuff out the movement, their provocation was met with an outpouring of
further resistance, as tens of thousands filled the streets of Valencia
the following day, denouncing the repression, and with an even stronger
cry in favour of the demands of the students, against the cuts and for
the resignation of the officials responsible for the police attacks.
Magnificently, in a manner reminiscent of the spread of the ‘indignados’
movement in May 2011, solidarity demonstrations spread around the
country, with thousands protesting in all key cities in the Spanish
state, filling up town squares and engaging in road blockades.

Members of Socialismo Revolucionario (CWI in Spain) have been active in
these protests. They stress the need for their escalation, along with
the need for uniting the movement with the power of the working class,
in struggle against the Rajoy government, which is servile to the
markets and EU and implementing austerity measures at their behest. As
our comrades have demanded, a general strike of students has been called
for 29 February by various student organisations, when workers will also
take to the streets as part of the ETUC European day of action. This has
the potential to be a powerful expression of the joint power and energy
of the youth and the working class.

The student general strike, which must be followed by further escalated
action. is also capable of sending a powerful message to the workers’
movement. It can assist rank and file trade unionists in fighting their
right-wing leaderships attempts to avoid mobilising for a general
strike, following the demonstrations of up to 2 million people last
Sunday 19 February. The next student strike should be accompanied by a
general strike against the austerity, labour reforms, police brutality
and for alternative policies to the dictatorship of the markets. Such a
strike could bring the economy to a halt for one day, as a step towards
further action, and show the power of the working class.

Messages of solidarity with this magnificent movement, dubbed “the
Valencian spring”, are needed. These can give important strength and
determination to activists, but also indicate the potential for an
international struggle, against cuts and the rule of the speculators and
big business across Europe and beyond. Spanish capitalist politicians
incredibly responded to the events in Valencia, saying that protesting
students were “the enemy”! International solidarity and struggle can
show the youth and workers of Spain, Greece, Portugal and beyond that we
understand who the real enemy is – the capitalist elite who are
determined to drive our living standards into the ground to pay for the
debts and try to “solve” the crisis of the super rich!

Please send messages of support and protest, from youth campaigns,
organisations, individuals etc, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Text of declaration produced by Socialismo Revolucionario (CWI in
Spain) following the events

Capitalism in crisis has begun to throw away its mask, demonstrating
its true repressive face. A week ago, Valencian students marched in
Lluis Vives Secondary Institute, against Titanic cuts to in public
education, carried out by Valencian government of PP ‘neo-cons’, which
left many schools without basic central heating! They decided to block
the road in protest. In answer, Valencian government sent the
“security” forces who, following orders from above, broke the
demonstration with batons, with unprecedented brutal violence,
resembling that used on demonstrations against the Bologna Process
several years ago. In available images, we can see how police forces
take people by the hair, carrying them to their van to be interrogated
and arrested, or baton charges against boys of 14 years of age. After
a second bout of repression, police barged into the institute using
tear gas and rubber bullets. As a consequence of this, 500 students
decided to close themselves into the Faculty of History in the
University of Blasco Ibáñez, occupying the building and writing a
manifesto of protest. After deciding to remain there with some
teachers and parents, the police tried to dissolve the occupation
through the use force. During the whole day and part of night, clashes
have occurred on the streets. After further repression the following
day, the Valencian police chief, in a public press conference with the
Valencia Government Delegate, said of the protestors: “They are the
enemy”.

As the unemployment crisis, social cuts and anti-worker politics go on
hitting us, the capitalist State uses all kinds of repressive tactics
to scare the population of any form of social protest. We must not
forget what they are defending with their batons. These anti-social
policies lower living standards of the working class, step by step:
they make it easier for employers to exploit workers, to lower wages,
to lengthen the working day and making jobs more precarious. As we
know, the current labour reform, makes it cheaper and easier to fire
someone, making it harder to get a job. Besides, the latest cuts in
education and health worsen quality of social services, serving as a
step towards them being privatized. This necessarily generates an
unavoidable increase in social protests.

But despite this, central government and local administrations make
use of repressive means, by imposing these policies. They want to make
us believe that democracy consists in voting every 4 years for some
parliamentarian from big parties, giving them the license to pass laws
against the interests of workers. They thus try to legalise any kind
of anti-social policies, demanded by the IMF and banks, and to
legitmise these policies towards the public, while at the same time
cracking down on those who try to resist.

We must tell them: “enough is enough!”. It’s imperative that the
people go out onto the street to protest against repressive tactics of
governments. To protest against profoundly anti-democratic character
of the capitalist institutions, and to denounce this system for what
it actually is: a totalitarian dictatorship of banks and big business
which little by little bleeds society dry for the profit of the rich
few.

Socialismo Revolucionario (CWI in Spain) calls on you not to just
cross your arms and watch from your seat while they attack your sons,
your neighbours, and your comrades. We should go out to street and
mobilise! We call on all workers to organize, with the means and tools
their disposal, from combative unions, networks of assemblies in
neighbourhoods and towns, strike committees in the workplaces,
neighbourhood associations, anti-capitalist political parties and
organizations, and social movements. To remain at home is not an
option when ruling class thinks it can justify repression against the
people!

We demand

- Stop police repression against the youth!

- Immediate freedom for students unfairly arrested!

- No to cuts!

- Defend public education!

- Let us call for a general strike of students in the whole Spanish
State!